Crate GFX212

Ok... This is a GFX 212 (the first version... without the "T")
Solid State with built in effects: delay, flanger, chorus, reverb, and chorus+reverb. The delay is good (the one I use the most), flanger, like everyone else said, sucks... but then most flangers do.
The chorus and reverb and chorus+reverb are all decent. I can't say that I use much other than the delay but they are all pretty good (with the exception of the flanger, but then I dont like flanger at all)
The selection knob for all these effects is a bit of a pain... it doesn't "click into place", you just have to set it to the right spot. For example... the delay I use is the long delay, and the other delays are really short, to get the long delay you have to get right at the end of the "Delay effect" and slightly before the "Flanger", so it gets a little annoying but not horrible.
It comes with a footswitch that everybody says is super cheap, but I think the people saying that are just abusive to their equiptment. I'm not the most gentle person in the world, especially when it comes to stomping on foot switches or effects pedals, and I've been stomping on this one footswitch for about 4 years now and it doesn't have a crack on it. Yeah it's plastic, but it's not wimpy plastic. It's a footswitch... you don't throw it against walls or anything. You step on the button, Which takes nothing more than the wieght of you foot, and the effect comes on. I think it works great. It's actually the part of the amp that hasn't given me any trouble.
Somebody said it had an effects loop, which I think is misleading. It has an "Insert" jack. If you want to use that as an effects loop ("loop" being the key word) you have to go buy a 1/4" Y-adaptor. Personally I don't use the insert jack. I just plug my stomp boxes in line with the guitar and input jack.
I really wish this amp had a Line Out jack, because in order to get it to go through a PA system you have to mic it.

I own a Fender Strat with 2 single's and a humbucker pickup in it. I play mostly classic rock (Hendrix, Zeppelin, The Doors, Pink Floyd, etc.) and the distortion is awesome for that style of music. I can see why people complain about the distortion when trying to play Heavy Metal. Too much distortion ALWAYS sounds crappy. I think it's safe to say you can get too much distortion from this amp (which is good because it gives lots of ranges to choose from). It's got Gain 1, which is good overdrive, and Gain 2, which is good decently heavy distortion. It's also got that Shape knob that everybody seems to dislike. I typically don't turn the shape knob up too far past half way; I never turn it up all the way. It's an amp you have to play with a lot to find what you want, but once you figure out what you like and how to get that sound, which you most likely can get out of this amp, it works great. I have no problem with the feedback; An amp with lots of distortion at high volumes is going to feedback. MOVE AWAY FROM THE AMP. Try learning how to control the feedback. It's really cool, once you get control of it. This amp doesn't feedback worse than any other amp I've ever played through.
I can't say that I've had any problems with the clean channel distorting at high volumes or anything like that. It's not the best clean channel, but then it is a solid state amp. I prefer tube amps, but they cost twice as much and I am poor.
I usually play pretty loud, and this amp is LOUD! When I first played on the amp I was turning it up to about 7 or 8 while jamming in a little tiny garage. It wasn't mine then, one of the guys in the band I was in owned it, but then the band broke up and he sold it to me. I don't think I needed it that loud, but it still sounded good at that volume. I typically don't turn it up past 6 anymore. Trust me, its a loud amp. And it sounds good loud, if you now what you're doing.
So all around the sound of this amp is pretty vesitile and pretty good.

Ok... Now comes my problem with the amp. I have taken this amp across the country at least 3 or 4 times and taken it about everywhere I've gone in the last 4 years. It did fine for the first couple of years and strangely enough is seemingly doing fine now. It started cutting out on me for no apparent reason. When it first started doing it to me, I was living in an apartment complex, so I guess I just assumed the power was just kind of crappy or something. Obviously I was wrong. It started getting worse. I would be playing and it would switch to the Distorted channel and not do anything. I could hit it on the top and it would "snap out of it" so to speak. For a long time it would only cut out once, I would hit it, and it would work fine. But, then I moved across country and it got progressivly worse. I bought the amp used from my old band member so I had no warranty or anything on it, that and I am poor, like I said, so I just basically was going to use it until I could use it anymore. Well, it got that bad. It would cut out every other minute and hitting it on top didn't always bring it back anymore. So I stopped using it. I moved again, Temporarily, and left it at my old place in storage. Then I moved back and just recently took it apart to have a look inside. (Yeah, I know, leave it to the pro's, well, I'm cheap!) Anyway, nothing seemed visibly wrong, and the cutting out was definately not a problem with the speakers. So I just kind of looked at it, and checked for loose conections and what not, but didn't find anything wrong. So I figured I plug it in and try it out, just to see if it would miraculously start working. And it did! It just kind of clicked on and started working. So I put it all back together and started jamming to see if it would do the whole cutting out thing again. I haven't had a problem with it since. Now, that wasn't too long ago (month or two), so we'll just have to see if it starts doing it again.
So, in general, the amp was ok for the first two years, then it progressively got crappy, now it works again. I can't explain it, but given my situation, I would buy a new amp in a heartbeat if I wasn't poor. Imagine playing a gig and the amp cuts out and your in the middle of a song. That's not what I would call a reliable amp. I'm good to my equiptment too. It's not like I just toss the thing around. It did give me a good 2 years of problem free playing though, so I guess you'd be paying for at least two years, but after that who knows?

No idea.

Been playing for something like 8 or 9 years... starting to lose track it's been so long. I own a bunch of random stuff, an Ibanez GIO guitar, My Strat, A bunch of effect pedals, a few rack mount effects, a couple of acoustic guitars, a keyboard, a bass guitar, PA system... No other amps. I used to own a Fender M-80 half stack, which was an amazing amp. I wish I still had that beast. Better solid state amp than the GFX-212. Maybe a little less versitile but more reliable. If this amp got stolen... I don't think I'd really freak out or anything. I'd try to get it back, but I would not buy Another one. Especially for the price some of these people paid. If I had money I buy a Fender Twin all-tube amp. Those amps rule!
I don't like the fact that I'm not sure whether or not I should trust the amp, especially when playing a gig. I think it has awesome "Classic rock" sounding distortion. Hendrix and Zeppelin sounding distortion. That's if you don't crank the distortion levels up too much. It sounds fine at very high volumes. It's loud enough to play gigs in bars or someplace other than an arena. The tone really isn't that bad for a solid state amp. I was suprized. The effects are o.k. I wouldn't say the rule, and I wouldn't say they suck. I basically just got lucky and had this amp offered to me for whatever I would pay for it, by an ex-band member who needed money. So, considering the hell I put it through before I owned it, and adding the hell I put it through after I bought it, I think I got a really good deal. I can't say that I would pay $400.00 for it. But, brand new, that would be a horrible deal. With $400.00 you're almost half way to a really nice tube amp. Crate's got really good bass amps out there, but I think I'd prefer something else for a guitar amp. Overall, not a bad amp.

Like the on board effects,can hook up at home without a board full of pedals and get good effects.

Use A 79 Les Paul Kalamazoo Standard and a 78 The Paul and both sound great through it. Has good distortion for rock or metal or can get pretty good clean tones too. have good control on distortion with 2 gain controls

never failed yet. I use it at home I have not Giged it but im sure it would keep up fine in small club or hall. has been great so far

never had to use it

have had for 3-4 years and is still going like the first day i bought it at music 123 sounds great, as i said i use it at home but is plenty loud 2x12 120 watts sounds great with a gibson and also with my strat, my opinion is good buy

The only complaint I might have, is it would be nice to have a bit more control on the individual effects, but for the most part, they have been good enough not to have to lug a ton of pedals around to gigs.

I play a Fender "Super Strat" and some "Frankenstein" back-up guitar made from different parts of God knows what (with Seymore Duncans). I play in a blues band, so I have never really cranked up the distortion channels to "mind melter", but it does a good enough job to toss a "Stevie Ray" tune in there once in a while. I pretty much use the reverb and delay only,and they work nicely. If you are into a lot of the other effects, I might recommend a good pedal....the on-board flange and such are a tad cheesey.This amp has plenty of power,( I would reccommend an amp stand for gigs) and for the money, it sounds pretty damn good.

More like 10-plus. I have gigged with this amp for two years, (through rain and snow, and all that "Postal" crap) and it fires up every time.

I have never dealt with them personally, but have heard good things from friend who have.

This amp may not be everyone's cup of tea, and I bought it mostly because I needed an amp in a hurry on the cheap, but it has been a very pleasant surprise indded.

Rugged U.S. made solid state Crate combo 2x12, 115 watt amp. Bought new in 2000.
Has overdrive and clean with separate level controls, and DSP features (slapback, delay, flange, chorus, reverb). Comes with a 3-button footswitch.
The main thing I hate is the fact that you need a special "Y" cord to patch external effects into the amp, or you can use a regular cable, but will be in mono.

This is a very loud amp. I usually keep it at 3. I play rock, classic rock music with it.
You need to stay at least 3-4 feet away from the amp or feedback will occur.
It is not forgiving when you play. Won't hide any sounds. So make sure you practice what you play.
The built-in effects are not bad. An effects box is best, though.
Adding too is the sensitivity of the amp to external effects.
You need to work with the amp make sure it compliments the effects. I had difficulty when I used a Boss ME-30 with it.
I plugged in my A/E Takamine EG-334RC in it, but it doesn't do the acoustic guitar justice. I need an acoustic amp for this. This is strictly an electric guitar amp.

A very rugged and reliable amp.
No problems in this area.
Covered with a durable Tolex material.

I called Tech Support to ask about pricing me some casters.
I had bought some after-market casters. However, they didn't do the job. The caster wheels were too small and the amp would tilt very easily.
Willing to assist me in my request.

I've been playing for 8 yrs. I have an Epiphone Les Paul, Jackson Stealth, Fender Strat, Takamine acoustic, and a Jasmine spanish guitar.
I have a Boss ME-30, Rockman X-100, and a Roland GR-1, which is connected to the Strat (I didn't want to do it at first, either).
Would I buy another one? Maybe, if it was a tube amp, however, they run over $800. I did try out other amps (Line 6, Fender, Peavy), but I could only spend about $400. If money was no issue I would test as many tube amp combos and see which one has the best sound and features.

This amp has a lot of features - dsp switching, chorus, reverb, delay, etc. Delay is a bit unreliable- I've had this happen to me before- you have to adjust it because sometimes it just sounds "metallic" and doesnt work. Otherwise the pedal that comes with the thing sucks- it breaks easy - and here is my WARNING - DO NOT USE PEDALS IN THE INPUT SECTION. This fried my amp at least two of those times. I think there is a seperate fx input- I shouldve used that- too little too late - I shouldve read up on it more- but it still shouldve done ok. My Marshall Avt20 can take THREE pedals and still not short out like this POS Crate garbage did.

At low volumes- this amp is OK. In fact, as a practice amp- its pretty good. However, the speakers are so damn cheap - they rattle and clip horribly when past 4 or 5 on volume. I used it with various Jackson models including a King V (used) and another dxsomething rather model (the better of the two) - and made the mistake of practicing with my former band using this amp. The main problem - was that using the shape knob- it gets too thin - at low volumes it sounds good- but then past 4 it breaks up and distorts- and feedbacks to all hell. This band in question had me turn up the mids- and the shape down- to fit their already shitty pa - lets just say it sounded like if you took a dump on a guitar and tried to play it- pure mud- pure shit- bad tone. But then again part of it was my guitar as well..the King V needs some work to say the least. But the damn Crate amp has a very sharp cutting edge that hurts ones ears instead of pleases them. Part of it was my band's PA- part of it the amp's fault.

WHAT RELIABILITY? I had to get this fucker fixed FOUR times before I traded it up for a Peavey Butcher 120 watt. I hope this is an ok Tube amp- to at least start with.

I have no idea. I didn't want to bother with the company out of sheer frustration this amp had given me.

I'm glad I'm trying to get into tube amps now. It took years for me to get off my ass and do something about my amp. I was egotistical about my situation and didn't want to listen to the constant complaining. I was in denial because I will never trust the Crate (at least solid state) series EVER again. I think overall, its an ok amp to have at home- maybe even to record, but somehow- my Marshall that has about 100 less watts and is Valvestate sounds WAY better on tape that this sucker. Don't make the mistake I did.

you know the features. I think the three channels are great - the second distortion channel gives you the ability to change the tone you are getting while maintaining a solid distortion without having to go and adjust it on the amp. The effects are pretty good - except the Flange (it's a bad flange) but I don't use em much unless I'm just messing around

I use a Epiphone Les Paul with and Invader. I play old school punk rock - and this amp has worked out great. It is a little noisy - gets feedback pretty damn easy. But this amp has balls if you learn how to use it right (turning the shape up scoops your mids - and when that happens your tone sounds like pure mud). But when used correctly both distortion channels are excellent - I wish they had different volume controls, the light distortion channel is real midrangy which makes it a little louder. The clean channel is alright - not great, but it work for what I use it for. It sounds like the clean you would expect from a solid state amp. If you mess around with the eq on the clean it helps a lot. The amp has plenty of power, I have been consistantly playing gigs with it for 3 years - I now run it through a 4X12 extension cab and even without the cab it is good and loud. Overall I think that it a real solid good sounding amp, and if you sit down and figure it all out, it can be made to sound like what you want it to.

I have dropped it down my stairs, it has fallen off of things multiple times - I have kicked it when I was mad.... I have jumped off it - I have cranked it many times.... and I have been traveling with it and playing gigs with it for 3+ years. The only problem I ever had was some loose wires - took about 20 minutes to fix. Oh yeah but the pedal that crate gives you with it is shit - I think they all break. I had heard crates fall apart - but i think thats bull - because I have abused this amp and it work beautifully still.

don't know

Only thing that isn't perfect about this amp is that it isn't tube. So if you aren't ready for/don't want/can't afford a tube amp. This amp is most likely the best choice I think you can ever make. It is a good loud combo that does not need an extension cab necessarily - but if you stick one on it it is even better.

I have owned this amp for a little over 2 years now. The one nice thing about this amp is how versatile of a sound you could get. 3 channels, gain 1, gain 2 and clean. The little shape knob that takes out the mids in gain 2 is very fun to play with and gives you some extra options.

I've played many guitars through this amp from my cheap craptastic Ibanez GRX20 to my band mates les paul. The amp always sounds awesome...until you turn the volume up past 1. Once you try and use any of the 150 watts that this amp has your clean channel starts rumbling and sounding distorted, your gain 1 starts to sound crackly and your gain 2 will loose that nice heavy I want to kill your mom sound. Once the volume is up at all this amp just plain old sucks. I have heard very few amps that are worse...

I bought this amp back in January 2001. In March of that year a speaker in it broke and I had to get it replaced. Later on down the line after a few shows the foot pedal broke and I had to get that replaced. A few months after that some wire came loose in it and we had to go in with the soddering gun. Then after about 7 months with the amp working fine on friday I turned it on and it started smoking and didn't work. Totally sucked. The amp has been to a lot of dark roudy basements but that still doesn't make up for it breaking 4 times in 2 years. This is not a reliable amp, not at all, so always bring an extra one to the show or use another bands.

I dealt with them on one occasion. They were relativly helpful which was unexpected.

There are very few other amps that you can buy for $300 and get 150 watts of power out of them so they get loud for the price but these amps sound like shit if you turn them up so it really isn't worth it in the end, plus they break all the time. Save your money and don't buy this amp unless you need something loud that will only last for a little while.

>>Plugging bands site>>www.swiftkick.tk

Amp was made in 2000. The amp offers built in digital effects, 3 channels, a foot switch controler, 120W output, pure SS. A lot for the money.

I like this amp! I think that the sounds are great. My favorite is the moderate gain channel. I like the reverb of all of the effects. The others are usable. The combination of the reverb with the clean channel and the higher gain channels is very rich in tonality. I never cease to discover new settings with new tones. I own several amps, including modeling amps from good companies, but this amp remains my favorite overall. The other amps may have more features and better effects, but this amp has the tone and expression, and that is what is most important to me.

No problem with the amp. The foot switch is sometimes unreliable. With the foot switch, I can change channels and turn the effects off and on, so it is convenient. Is made of plastic, seems to be reasonably sturdy, but sometimes does not work. I unplug it, and do manual switching. I have had no problem with the amp. One anoyance, and I do not know if this is an issue with the amp or my location is interference by the amp picking up a local radio program. This is a problem with the higher gain channels only, but is disturbing. Perhaps this could be avoided by better shielding. Perhaps I could shield the amp myself from the outside.

I have not had reason to contact them.

For the price, I think that this is a wonderful amp. It is solid, has great tones, endless variational possibilities, and built in effects. I have read other reviewers with negative remarks about Crate. All I can say is that my amp functions great, no reliability issues, and I love the sound! I think that this is a great beginner amp for an aspiring young musician and a great touring amp for an experienced musician. In my opinion, Crate has designed and built a winner at a killer price!

Hmm....solid state, 3 channels, Some effects, channels switchable.
Had it for probably 2 years almost. Worked somewhat good for heavy metal. Its not tube, so its not going to have a good heavy metal sound to it. I used it for Slayer, Metallica, Pantera like stuff. Had a nice clean channel, really nice with chorus + reverb. Gain 1 sucked, only good for slight overdrive, Gain 2 was the main distortion. Gain 2 didnt have very many options. To get a good metal tone out of it, you had to cut the mids, but in a solo, you would be lost in the mix.

I used an Epiphone Les Paul with it, and a couple pedals. It was loud enough, but the channels would "crack" at like 5. On the gain 2, when loud, was very noisy. Although, it could have been the shitty pickups in the guitar. It will give you a good metal tone.

Ah fuck, its crate. Crate is cheap. And usually, cheap = shit. It never broke on me, but i only used it in about 10 gigs.

Never had too

Not bad, for a starter. If you already have a nice set up, dont downgrade to this amp. I loved the amp, i still have it, but i am in the process of selling it to a friend in Idaho. Right now, its just used as a power amp and a cab to my Ada mp-1 pre-amp. If your on a tight-budget, and want a good overall amp, get this.

It has 3 channels, horrid, and then there's gain 2, and clean. It also has some effects, flange delay, chorus and reverb... and a chorus+reverb i think. They suck for the most part.

OK... first of all, for all you retards that are complaining about not getting a decent sound out of this amp remember what you paid for it! jeeze...you expect this to sound like a line6 or a marshall and it is a fraction of the price. Face it. You got a good deal with this amp. I'll have to admit that this is basically a really powerful practice amp. Which I think is a good thing. Think about all the crappy little practice amps that were soooo nasty and inversitile. Then remember that at their respective volumes they actually have a character of their own. This amp is the same way. The clean channel ONLY sounds good when cranked... with the guitar turned way down. Like try to get it at the same volume with the guitar cranked at three only with the level on 7 or 8. The first gain is alright but not versatile enough to use seriously. Gain 2 is much better with it's "shape" nob. I get a nice tool sound with this. As far as the effects go... the flange has made me never want to buy a flange pedal ever... the delay isn't too bad. There just isn't much you can do with it. The chorus doesn't suit me but the reverb can help the amp produce some nice rounded tones. I use the amp with a homemade 412 cab and I have always had the loudest setup in my band... thats up next to an ac30 and a peavey half stack and a gallien kruegger 410.

I think Crate's suck... this one however has lasted me about 3 years now and it has been through mud infested gigs, beer infested gigs, and the place were we practiced went up in flames and my amp is still in one peice and functioning! Still smells like shit with all the soot and all, though. The footpedal has to be the worse product anyone makes... everyone I know that has one has to buy another footpedal for it which can get expensive after about five footpedals. Otherwise the amp is tough as dirt.

doesn't apply to me... actually a while back i went to the website looking on info on how to get a new footswitch. didn't help at all. 'bout a month later they showed up in AMS and Musician's Friend... so I took my to a repair shop:)

I have been playing for about 5 years now and I am no Kirk Hammit but this amp works for me. I know what sounds good and what doesn't and I am looking to upgrade to a Marshall JCM 2000 DSL... but if it doesn't suit me I may look at a few Fender tube amps. This amp is awesome for the price. I don't think there is a better deal than this out there. That is for a musician who is looking to grow and learn on something. I'll have to admit the amp is very professional but the tone could be warmer so I am looking into some tube amps to upgrade to in the near future.